Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Good Shepherd
If you happen to read the commentary on John 10:1-21, by George W.
MacRae, in his book, "Invitation to John", George presents two
images of Jesus in John's 10th chapter: Jesus as the Gate, and
Jesus as the Good Shepherd. According to the author, the two
images are distinct from one another. The first image dwells on
Jesus as our access to God and to eternal life. The second image
on the other hand, focuses on the very person of Jesus. It is in
this second image that we are very familiar with: Jesus as a model
Shepherd, who shows by His very good example, how He laid down His
life, by obedience to the Father, for the benefit of all us sheep
in His flock.
found all throughout the Bible, and thus conveys to us the
universal importance given it by the Bible's authors. If we cite
one passage in the Old Testament, that familiar passage of Psalm
23, "The Lord is my Shepherd", this passage alludes to Jesus, who
will really fulfill His role as Shepherd of all Israel and the
world.
Another passage of shepherd-sheep imagery is found in the prophecy
of Ezekiel 34:1-31. This passage tells us of the infidelity of
the shepherds of Israel (the leaders of the people), to Yahweh,
who is always faithful in His role as Shepherd to His people. And
because of this, Yahweh will choose His servant David, whom He
will raise up as a model of responsible "shepherdhood".
In the New Testament, aside from the 10th chapter of John, the
shepherd-sheep imagery is also seen in the parable of the lost
sheep: in LUke 15:4-7, and in Matthew 18:12-14.
If we place all these scriptural meanings within the context of
celebrating the Eucharist, when the priest-presider says in the
words of consecration, "Do this in memory of Me", it is Jesus in
the person of the priest, who is also teaching us to be good
shepherds to each other - to take care and be responsible for the
people entrusted to our care: children, elderly parents or loved
ones, and even clients whom we serve in a particular profession.
Jesus is the model par excellence of a good shepherd - for He
always seeks any sheep that has strayed from the fold, and gathers
all of them to pasture. We too are called to do the same in our
given life-situations.
Labels: good shepherd
posted by Dennis Emmanuel Cabrera @ 3:26 PM
